Friday, August 02, 2013

Forgotten Books: Past Masters and Other Bookish Natterings-- Bud Webster

Okay, Past Masters isn't a forgotten book.  It is, in fact, a brand new book, but it's a brand new book about forgotten SF books and writers.  It's a collection of Bud Webster's "Past Masters" columns that have appeared over the years in various online publications, and if you're interested in the history of SF, it's essential reading.  For an old guy like me, it's a wonderful trip back to the days when my reading consisted of one SF novel and story after another, as fast as I could consume them.  It's hard for me to accept that so many of the writers I grew up reading and admiring are now just footnotes to many people, but maybe this book will help remedy that situation.

Among the writers Webster discusses are Eric Frank Russell, Clifford Simak, Murray Leinster, and Henry Kuttner.  That's just for starters.  Where else are you going to find reviews of The Gods Hate Kansas or Big Planet Zero?  There are a good many more writers discussed, along with a few more generalized pieces of interest.  Webster also includes a bibliography for each author he writes about.  You just can't go wrong with a book like this.

4 comments:

George said...

I'm ordering PAST MASTERS right NOW!

Todd Mason said...

A sense of what Webster's up to here can be had from his contributions to F&SF, some of which are collected in the book:
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/dcuriosities.htm

Rick Robinson said...

Wow, this sounds great!

Bud said...

Your finger's on the pulse of what's-happening-now as usual. Thanks!